Expanding gas direct impingement cooling apparatus

ABSTRACT

A cooling system for packaged beverages includes a cabinet or housing which may be insulated. The housing has a door and may optionally include shelves. The user places a quantity of packaged beverages into the housing and, via a user interface of the system, identifies the package type and quantity of the packaged beverages in the housing. The system injects a measured amount of liquefied gas (e.g., liquid nitrogen) into the cabinet and prevents the door from opening for a predetermined period of time based on the package type and quantity selected by the user. The door is then unlocked, an optional alert may be sounded, and the user can open the door to remove some or all of the packaged beverages from the cabinet which have been cooled to between about 30 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialthat is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the reproduction of the patent document or the patentdisclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patentfile or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and hereby incorporates by referencein its entirety U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/870,114entitled “EXPANDING GAS DIRECT IMPINGEMENT COOLING APPARATUS” filed onAug. 26, 2013.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING OR COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to cooling food. Moreparticularly, the invention pertains to cooling packages of beveragesusing very little electrical power.

There are two options for cooling drinks on a large scale, largerefrigerators or tubs of ice. Refrigerators cool packaged drinks (e.g.,cans or bottles of a beverage) by storing the drinks in a refrigeratorcabinet at a temperature between 32 degrees and 40 degrees Fahrenheit.Refrigerators require a lot of space (enough to hold all of the drinks)and a lot of electricity. If the refrigeration cabinet is frequentlyopened, then the temperature inside the cabinet may not remain lowenough to keep the drinks cool, and the refrigerator will use additionalelectricity. Tubs of ice cool drinks by immersing them at a temperaturebetween about 0 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit for a time to cool the drinksto between about 32 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Tubs of ice may be leftopen, but the ice will quickly melt (i.e., warm), and additional icewill be required to maintain a cool environment for the drinks. Thisrequires making ice on site which requires machinery and electricity, orbrining ice to the site which may prove difficult logistically.

For festivals or events in venues without adequate electricity, it isinefficient to bring in large refrigeration units and generators neededfor refrigerating drinks. Similarly, bringing in an initial quantity andadditional quantities of ice (or making additional ice with icemakersand generators) is also prohibitively inefficient, especially for longerevents (e.g., multiple days).

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects of the present invention provide a cooling system for packagedbeverages. The system includes a cabinet or housing which may beinsulated. The housing has a door and may optionally include shelves.The user places a quantity of packaged beverages into the housing and,via a user interface of the system, identifies the package type andquantity of the packaged beverages in the housing. The system injects ameasured amount of liquefied gas (e.g., liquid nitrogen) into thecabinet and prevents the door from opening for a predetermined period oftime based on the package type and quantity selected by the user. Thedoor is then unlocked, an optional alert may be sounded, and the usercan open the door to remove some or all of the packaged beverages fromthe cabinet which have been cooled to between about 30 and 40 degreesFahrenheit.

In another aspect, a cooling system includes a housing, a gasificationmanifold, a valve, and a controller. The housing is configured toreceive a beverage package in a chamber defined therein. The housingincludes a door and an electronically controlled lock. Theelectronically controlled lock is operable to prevent the door fromopening when engaged. The gasification manifold is operable to receiveliquefied gas from the reservoir and provide liquefied gas to thechamber. The valve is operable to provide liquefied gas to thegasification manifold from the reservoir when the valve is open andprevent flow of the liquefied gas from the reservoir to the gasificationmanifold when the valve is closed. The controller is operable toselectively open and close the valve and to selectively engage theelectronically controlled lock to selectively prevent the door fromopening.

In another aspect, a cooling system includes a housing, a valve, and acontroller. The housing is configured to receive a beverage package in achamber defined therein. The housing includes a door and anelectronically controlled lock. The electronically controlled lock isoperable to prevent the door from opening when engaged. The valve isoperable to provide the liquefied gas to the chamber from reservoir whenthe valve is open and prevent flow of liquefied gas from the reservoirto the chamber when the valve is closed. The controller is operable toselectively open and close the valve and to selectively engage theelectronically controlled lock to selectively prevent the door fromopening. The controller selectively engages in this engages theelectronically controlled lock as a function of the beverage package.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a packaged beverage cooling system.

FIG. 2 is a wire-frame front perspective view of a packaged beveragecooling system.

FIG. 3 is a front plan view of a packaged beverage cooling system.

FIG. 4 is a side plan view of a packaged beverage cooling system.

FIG. 5 is a rear plan view of a packaged beverage cooling system.

Reference will now be made in detail to optional embodiments of theinvention, examples of which are illustrated in accompanying drawings.Whenever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawingand in the description referring to the same or like parts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the making and using of various embodiments of the presentinvention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated thatthe present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts thatcan be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specificembodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways tomake and use the invention and do not delimit the scope of theinvention.

To facilitate the understanding of the embodiments described herein, anumber of terms are defined below. The terms defined herein havemeanings as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in theareas relevant to the present invention. Terms such as “a,” “an,” and“the” are not intended to refer to only a singular entity, but ratherinclude the general class of which a specific example may be used forillustration. The terminology herein is used to describe specificembodiments of the invention, but their usage does not delimit theinvention, except as set forth in the claims.

As described herein, an upright position is considered to be theposition of apparatus components while in proper operation or in anatural resting position as described herein. Vertical, horizontal,above, below, side, top, bottom and other orientation terms aredescribed with respect to this upright position during operation unlessotherwise specified. The term “when” is used to specify orientation forrelative positions of components, not as a temporal limitation of theclaims or apparatus described and claimed herein unless otherwisespecified. The terms “above”, “below”, “over”, and “under” mean “havingan elevation or vertical height greater or lesser than” and are notintended to imply that one object or component is directly over or underanother object or component.

The phrase “in one embodiment,” as used herein does not necessarilyrefer to the same embodiment, although it may. Conditional language usedherein, such as, among others, “can,” “might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and thelike, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understoodwithin the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certainembodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certainfeatures, elements and/or states. Thus, such conditional language is notgenerally intended to imply that features, elements and/or states are inany way required for one or more embodiments or that one or moreembodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or withoutauthor input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/orstates are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

The terms “coupled” and “connected” mean at least either a directelectrical connection between the connected items or an indirectconnection through one or more passive or active intermediary devices.

The term “circuit” means at least either a single component or amultiplicity of components, either active and/or passive, that arecoupled together to provide a desired function.

Terms such as “providing,” “processing,” “supplying,” “determining,”“calculating” or the like may refer at least to an action of a computersystem, computer program, signal processor, logic or alternative analogor digital electronic device that may be transformative of signalsrepresented as physical quantities, whether automatically or manuallyinitiated.

Referring to FIGS. 1-5, a cooling system 100 includes a housing 102, agasification manifold 104, a valve 106, and a controller 108. Thehousing 102 is configured to receive a beverage package. The beveragepackage may be anything from a single can or bottle to a case of cans orbottles (e.g., 24 individual cans or bottles). Further, the beveragepackage may be a plurality of packs (e.g., 12 individual cans orbottles) or cases (e.g., 24 individual cans or bottles). The housing 102defines a chamber 110 therein which ultimately receives the beveragepackage. In one embodiment, the housing 102 has insulated stainlesssteel walls that are approximately 35 mm thick. The walls may be vacuuminsulated. The housing 102 further comprises a door 120 and anelectronically controlled lock 122. The electronically controlled lock122 is operable to prevent the door 120 from opening when engaged. Inone embodiment, the electronically controlled lock 122 is a solenoidoperable to protrude from an edge of the door 122 into a cabinet of thehousing 102. In another embodiment, the electronically controlled lock122 includes a motor operable to rotate a latch into a locked positionor out of the locked position. In one embodiment, the chamber 110 issubstantially cubic to promote uniform cooling of beverage packageswithin the chamber 110. That is, the chamber 110 may have a height 150,a width 152, and a depth 154 that are relatively similar. In oneembodiment, the chamber 110 has an inset to house a venturi exhaustsystem, such that the depth 154 and height 150 are slightly reduced at aback of the housing 102. In this embodiment, the height 150, width 152,and depth 154 are each approximately 600 mm excluding the inset suchthat the total volume of the chamber 110 is approximately ⅛ of a cubicmeter. In this embodiment, the

The gasification manifold 104 is operable to receive liquefied gas froma reservoir (e.g., a liquid nitrogen tank) and provide liquefied gas tothe chamber 110. In one embodiment, the reservoir is a liquid nitrogenvessel storing liquid nitrogen (LN2) at approximately −196 Celsius. Inone embodiment, the gasification manifold 104 is annular (e.g.,ring-shaped) and located at a top 156 of the chamber 110. In oneembodiment, the gasification manifold 104 has an outer diameter 160 thatis between approximately 60% and 75% of the width 152 of the top 156 ofthe chamber 110. In one embodiment, the gasification manifold includes aplurality of spray nozzles 180. The spray nozzles 180 are operable toconvert the liquefied gas (e.g., liquid nitrogen) to a mist whichimmediately atomizes and evaporates, cooling the chamber 110. In oneembodiment, the spray nozzles 180 are mounted at approximately 30° withrespect to a plane defined by the top 156 of the chamber 110. The spraynozzles 180 are angled inward to spray toward a center of the chamber110.

The valve 106 is operable to provide the liquefied gas to thegasification manifold 104 from the reservoir when the valve 106 is openand prevent flow of the liquefied gas from the reservoir to thegasification manifold 104 when the valve 106 is closed. In oneembodiment, the valve 106 is an electronically actuated solenoid valvefor use with liquid nitrogen. In one embodiment, the cooling system 100further includes a regulator. Alternatively, the regulator may beintegral with the liquefied gas reservoir. In one embodiment, theregulator communicates the liquefied gas from the reservoir to the valve122 or from the valve 122 to the chamber 110 at approximately one bar ofpressure in a rate of approximately 0.5 liters per minute. When thehousing 102 and chamber 110 are already cooled form a previous coolingcycle, the flow rate may be reduced to 0.25 liters per minute. Thechamber 110 generally cools to approximately −40 Celsius during acooling cycle, and beverage packages continue cooling for approximately5-10 minutes after removal from the chamber 110 following the coolingcycle.

The controller 108 is operable to selectively open and close the valve106 to control flow of the liquefied gas from the reservoir to thechamber 110. The controller 108 is further operable to selectivelyengage the electronically controlled lock 122 to selectively prevent thedoor 120 from opening. In one embodiment, the controller 108 selectivelyengages the electronically controlled lock 122 such that the door 120 isprevented from opening while the valve 106 is open. The controller 108may further prevent the door 120 from opening for a predetermined periodof time after opening the valve 106. In one embodiment, thepredetermined period of time is determined as a function of the beveragepackage. In one embodiment, the controller selectively engages anddisengages the electronically controlled lock 122 as a function of thebeverage package. This predetermined period of time determined as afunction of the beverage package determines the minimum beverage packagecooling time within the chamber 110. In one embodiment, an open time ofthe valve 106 is constant regardless of the beverage package type orquantity. In another embodiment, the open time of the valve 106 isdetermined as a function of the beverage package. In one embodiment, thecooling system 100 further includes a temperature probe 202 disposed inthe chamber 110 operable to provide temperature data to the controller108. The controller 108 may prevent opening the door via theelectronically controlled lock 122 until temperature inside the chamberhas normalized as determined from the temperature data from thetemperature probe 202.

In one embodiment, the cooling system 100 further includes a userinterface 130. The user interface 130 is operable to receive beveragepackage data from a user. The beverage package data is indicative of atype and a quantity of the beverage package in the chamber 110. Forexample, the type of the beverage package may be glass bottles, aluminumbottles, or aluminum cans. The tide may further include container size.The beverage package quantity may be a number of 12 packs or cases, or atotal number of individual packages. As described above, the controller108 engages and disengages the electronically controlled lock 122 as afunction of the beverage package type and quantity received via the userinterface 130 to enforce a minimum cooling time based on the beveragepackage type and quantity. In one embodiment, the user interface 130 isa touchscreen interface that asks the user to select between packagetype (e.g., 12 ounce glass bottle or 12 ounce aluminum can) and select aquantity (e.g., number of 12 packs in the chamber 110). When the userselects the quantity, the controller 108 actuates the electronicallycontrolled lock 122, opens the valve 106 for a standardized open time,and subsequently disengages the electronically controlled lock 122 aftera predetermined period of time corresponding to the type and quantity ofbeverage package entered by the user. As shown in FIG. 3, the controller108 and the user interface 130 are integral, but it is contemplatedwithin the scope of the claims that the controller 108 may be separatefrom the user interface 130. Further, although the user interface 130shown herein is a touchscreen, the user interface 130 may include, forexample, fixed buttons corresponding to a type and quantity of standardpackage. In one embodiment, the predetermined period of time that thecontroller 108 maintains the electronically controlled lock 122 in thelocked state (i.e., engaged) ranges between 45 seconds and 240 secondsdepending on package type and quantity entered by the user via the userinterface 130.

In one embodiment, the cooling system 100 further includes a fan 140configured to draw gases (e.g., the now gaseous, evaporated liquidnitrogen) from the chamber 110 and an exhaust the gases outside of thechamber 110 when activated. In one embodiment, the controller 108activates the fan 140 whenever the door 122 is open. In one embodiment,the fan 110 is configured as a Venturi exhaust system by flowing airthrough a secondary chamber 142 having a constriction where thesecondary chamber 142 is in fluid communication with the chamber 110. Inone embodiment, the killing system 100 further includes a duct 144configured to fluidly connect to the secondary chamber 142 (e.g.,indirectly to the fan 140). The duct 144 is operable to conduct gasesdrawn from the chamber 110 by the fan 142 a location remote from thehousing 102 (and chamber 110). In one embodiment, the predeterminedperiod of time during which the controller 108 maintains the door 120 ina locked state to allow for cooling of the beverage package may beextended by, for example, 10 seconds while the controller 108 actuatesthe fan 140 to evacuate the now gaseous liquid nitrogen (i.e., LN2) fromthe chamber 110.

In one embodiment, the cooling system 100 further includes a battery 190and at least one solar cell 192. The solar cell 192 and battery 190 aresupported by the housing 102. The battery 190 is configured to providepower to the controller 108. The solar cell 192 is configured to chargethe battery 190. This enables the cooling system 100 to be used inremote locations without access to electricity, and reduces a caterer'sreliance on outside systems, gasoline supplies, etc. In one embodiment,the battery 190 is a 12 volt battery which will provide about 18 hoursof continuous operation when fully charged. The battery 190 may becharged by the solar cell 192, or may be charged before deploying thecooling system 100 to a site. The battery 190 may be recharged orreplaced on site by other methods such as swapping the battery 190 witha fully charged battery, connecting the battery 190 to generator powervia a charger, or connecting the battery 190 to a vehicle electricalsystem.

In one embodiment, the cooling system 100 further includes a temperatureprobe 202 and a temperature gauge 204. The temperature probe 202 iswithin the chamber 110, and the temperature gauge 204 is visible on theoutside of the housing 102. In one embodiment, the temperature gauge 204is integral with the user interface 130. In one embodiment, the chamber110 reaches a −40 Celsius temperature immediately after introduction ofthe liquefied gas into the chamber 110. The temperature may normalizesomewhat during the cooling cycle, but the temperature in the chamber110 will generally not increase significantly during the beveragepackage cooling cycle (which generally will not exceed 240 seconds).Thus, even after removal from the chamber 110, the beverage package maycontinue to cool for approximately 5-10 minutes in a phenomenon similarto (i.e., converse to) microwaving food. That is, in practice, thepackaging of the beverage is relatively mildly affected by the coolingcycle while the liquid center of the beverage become very cold(sometimes partially freezing), and the temperature of beveragenormalizes throughout after removal from the chamber 110 over the courseof the next 5-20 minutes.

It will be understood by those of skill in the art that providing datato the system or the user interface may be accomplished by clicking (viaa mouse or touchpad) on a particular object or area of an objectdisplayed by the user interface, or by touching the displayed object inthe case of a touchscreen implementation.

It will be understood by those of skill in the art that information andsignals may be represented using any of a variety of differenttechnologies and techniques (e.g., data, instructions, commands,information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips may be represented byvoltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles,optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof). Likewise, thevarious illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmsteps described herein may be implemented as electronic hardware,computer software, or combinations of both, depending on the applicationand functionality. Moreover, the various logical blocks, modules, andcircuits described herein may be implemented or performed with a generalpurpose processor (e.g., microprocessor, conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, state machine or combination of computingdevices), a digital signal processor (“DSP”), an application specificintegrated circuit (“ASIC”), a field programmable gate array (“FPGA”) orother programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic,discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed toperform the functions described herein. Similarly, steps of a method orprocess described herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in asoftware module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two.A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory,EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, aCD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Althoughembodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, itwill be understood by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

A controller, processor, computing device, client computing device orcomputer, such as described herein, includes at least one or moreprocessors or processing units and a system memory. The controller mayalso include at least some form of computer readable media. By way ofexample and not limitation, computer readable media may include computerstorage media and communication media. Computer readable storage mediamay include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable mediaimplemented in any method or technology that enables storage ofinformation, such as computer readable instructions, data structures,program modules, or other data. Communication media may embody computerreadable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other datain a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transportmechanism and include any information delivery media. Those skilled inthe art should be familiar with the modulated data signal, which has oneor more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as toencode information in the signal. Combinations of any of the above arealso included within the scope of computer readable media. As usedherein, server is not intended to refer to a single computer orcomputing device. In implementation, a server will generally include anedge server, a plurality of data servers, a storage database (e.g., alarge scale RAID array), and various networking components. It iscontemplated that these devices or functions may also be implemented invirtual machines and spread across multiple physical computing devices.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention andalso to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention,including making and using any devices or systems and performing anyincorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is definedby the claims, and may include other examples that occur to thoseskilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within thescope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differfrom the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalentstructural elements with insubstantial differences from the literallanguages of the claims.

It will be understood that the particular embodiments described hereinare shown by way of illustration and not as limitations of theinvention. The principal features of this invention may be employed invarious embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize numerous equivalentsto the specific procedures described herein. Such equivalents areconsidered to be within the scope of this invention and are covered bythe claims.

All of the compositions and/or methods disclosed and claimed herein maybe made and/or executed without undue experimentation in light of thepresent disclosure. While the compositions and methods of this inventionhave been described in terms of the embodiments included herein, it willbe apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that variations may beapplied to the compositions and/or methods and in the steps or in thesequence of steps of the method described herein without departing fromthe concept, spirit, and scope of the invention. All such similarsubstitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art aredeemed to be within the spirit, scope, and concept of the invention asdefined by the appended claims.

Thus, although there have been described particular embodiments of thepresent invention of a new and useful EXPANDING GAS DIRECT IMPINGEMENTCOOLING APPARATUS it is not intended that such references be construedas limitations upon the scope of this invention except as set forth inthe following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cooling system comprising: a housing configuredto receive a beverage package, wherein the housing defines a chamber andthe housing comprises a door and an electronically controlled lock,wherein the electronically controlled lock is operable to prevent thedoor from opening when engaged; a gasification manifold operable toreceive liquefied gas from a reservoir and provide the liquefied gas tothe chamber; a valve operable to provide the liquefied gas to thegasification manifold from the reservoir when the valve is open andprevent flow of the liquefied gas from the reservoir to the gasificationmanifold when the valve is closed; and a controller operable toselectively open and close the valve and to selectively engage theelectronically controlled lock to selectively prevent the door fromopening.
 2. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein: the electronicallycontrolled lock comprises a solenoid; the controller is further operableto selectively engage the solenoid such that the door is prevented fromopening while the valve is open; and the controller selectively engagesand disengages the electronically controlled lock as a function of thebeverage package.
 3. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein: theelectronically controlled lock comprises a solenoid; the controller isfurther operable to selectively engage the solenoid such that the dooris prevented from opening for a predetermined period of time afteropening the valve; the predetermined period of time is determined as afunction of the beverage package; and an open time of the valve isdetermined as a function of the beverage package.
 4. The cooling systemof claim 1, wherein: the cooling system further comprises a userinterface operable to receive beverage package data from a user; thebeverage package data is indicative of a type and a quantity of thebeverage package in the chamber; and the controller engages anddisengages the electronically controlled lock the valve as a function ofthe beverage package type and quantity received via the user interface.5. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein: the cooling system furthercomprises a fan configured to draw gases from the chamber and exhaustthe gases outside of the chamber when activated; and the controller isfurther operable to activate the fan when the door is opened.
 6. Thecooling system of claim 1, wherein: the cooling system further comprisesa fan configured to draw gases from the chamber and exhaust the gasesoutside of the chamber when activated; the controller is furtheroperable to activate the fan when the door is opened; and the fan isconfigured as a venturi exhaust system.
 7. The cooling system of claim1, wherein: the cooling system further comprises a fan configured todraw gases from the chamber and exhaust the gases outside of the chamberwhen activated; the controller is further operable to activate the fanwhen the door is opened; and the cooling system further comprises a ductconfigured to fluidly connect to the fan, said duct operable to conductthe gases drawn from the chamber by the fan to a location remote fromthe housing.
 8. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein: the chamber issubstantially cubic; the chamber has a top having a width; thegasification manifold is annular and located at the top of the chamber;and the gasification manifold has an outer diameter that is betweenapproximately 60% and 75% of the width of the top of the chamber.
 9. Thecooling system of claim 1, wherein: the chamber has a top defining aplane; the gasification manifold comprises a plurality of spray nozzles;the plurality of spray nozzles are operable to convert the liquefied gasto a mist; the spray nozzles are mounted at approximately 30 degreeswith respect to the plane defined by the top of the chamber; and thespray nozzles are angled inward to spray toward a center of the chamber.10. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein: the cooling system furthercomprises a regulator; the regulator is configured to provide theliquefied gas from the reservoir at approximately 1 bar of pressure anda rate of approximately 0.5 liters per minute.
 11. The cooling system ofclaim 1, wherein: the cooling system further comprises a batteryoperable to provide power to the controller; the housing supports thebattery; the cooling system further comprises a solar cell configured tocharge the battery; and the housing supports the solar cell.
 12. Acooling system comprising: a housing configured to receive a beveragepackage, wherein the housing defines a chamber and the housing comprisesa door and an electronically controlled lock, wherein the electronicallycontrolled lock is operable to prevent the door from opening whenengaged; a valve operable to provide the liquefied gas to the chamberfrom a reservoir when the valve is open and prevent flow of theliquefied gas from the reservoir to the chamber when the valve isclosed; and a controller operable to selectively open and close thevalve and to selectively engage the electronically controlled lock toselectively prevent the door from opening, wherein the controllerselectively engages and disengages the electronically controlled lock asa function of the beverage package.
 13. The cooling system of claim 12,wherein: the electronically controlled lock comprises a solenoid; andthe controller is further operable to selectively engage the solenoidsuch that the door is prevented from opening while the valve is open.14. The cooling system of claim 12, wherein: the controller is furtheroperable to selectively engage the electronically controlled lock suchthat the door is prevented from opening for a predetermined period oftime after opening the valve; the predetermined period of time isdetermined as a function of the beverage package; and an open time ofthe valve is determined as a function of the beverage package.
 15. Thecooling system of claim 12, wherein: the cooling system furthercomprises a user interface operable to receive beverage package datafrom a user; the beverage package data is indicative of a type and aquantity of the beverage package in the chamber; and the controllerengages and disengages the electronically controlled lock as a functionof the beverage package type and quantity received via the userinterface.
 16. The cooling system of claim 12, wherein: the housingfurther comprises a door; the cooling system further comprises a fanconfigured to draw gases from the chamber and exhaust the gases outsideof the chamber when activated; the controller is further operable toactivate the fan when the door is opened; and the fan is configured as aventuri exhaust system.
 17. The cooling system of claim 12, wherein: thehousing further comprises a door; the cooling system further comprises afan configured to draw gases from the chamber and exhaust the gasesoutside of the chamber when activated; the controller is furtheroperable to activate the fan when the door is opened; and the coolingsystem further comprises a duct configured to fluidly connect to thefan, said duct operable to conduct the gases drawn from the chamber bythe fan to a location remote from the housing.
 18. The cooling system ofclaim 12, wherein: the chamber is substantially cubic; the chamber has atop having a width; the cooling system further comprises a gasificationmanifold operable to receive the liquefied gas from the valve andprovide the liquefied gas to the chamber; the gasification manifold isannular and located at the top of the chamber; and the gasificationmanifold has an outer diameter that is between approximately 60% and 75%of the width of the top of the chamber.
 19. The cooling system of claim12, wherein: the cooling system further comprises a gasificationmanifold operable to receive the liquefied gas from the valve andprovide the liquefied gas to the chamber; the chamber has a top defininga plane; the gasification manifold comprises a plurality of spraynozzles; the plurality of spray nozzles are operable to convert theliquefied gas to a mist; the spray nozzles are mounted at approximately30 degrees with respect to the plane defined by the top of the chamber;and the spray nozzles are angled inward to spray toward a center of thechamber.
 20. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein: the cooling systemfurther comprises a regulator; the regulator is configured to providethe liquefied gas from the reservoir at approximately 1 bar of pressureand a rate of approximately 0.5 liters per minute.